This invention relates to magnifying apparatus and more particularly to a hand-held magnifier apparatus incorporating a built-in source of illumination.
As one will ascertain, the prior art is replete with numerous patents and other materials, which show magnifying lens systems to enable a person to view objects more clearly. As is well known, with the aid of a magnifying glass or a microscope it is possible to bring the object very close to the eye and yet view it as though it were comfortably within the eyes range of accommodation. This is the range of distance within which it can produce a sharply focused image on the retina.
As is also well known, the magnifying power of a microscope or a magnifying glass is the ratio of the apparent size of the image of an object formed by the instrument to that of the object seen by the naked eye. Various optical aids have been used to enable close viewing. Many of these optical aids come with a built-in light source which enables one to utilize the magnifying glass or the microscope assembly to view various items or objects with the additional light source illuminating the field of view.
Such prior art magnifiers present many problems in regard to the nature of the illumination in regard to glare which is caused by the source of illumination and while in general are effective to provide magnification there are various problems associated with the apparatus. As indicated, many of these problems result in glare which emanates from the illumination source as well as uneven illumination of the object to be viewed via the magnifying system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved magnifying system which essentially is economical to manufacture while eliminating many of the above-noted problems associated with the prior art devices.